


The Anniversary Present

by thatsoccercoach



Series: Which Door? (Fluffy Fraser Fics) [75]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Family, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-30 10:23:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20445575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsoccercoach/pseuds/thatsoccercoach
Summary: Jamie and Claire's anniversary present.





	The Anniversary Present

“Come along then! Ge’ on wi’ ye!” Jenny Murray hustled the Fraser children inside.  _ They didn’t look too terribly disheveled, _ she thought optimistically to herself. They’d all been dressed nicely under half an hour ago but, Frasers being who they were, each one seemed just slightly worse for the wear now. 

“I just need one good picture of all of ye then yer free again. Yer mam and da would like an anniversary gift, and a picture of all their bairns fits the bill.

Jenny enjoyed dabbling in photography when she had the time. She’d taken numerous pictures of the children over the years. Those now covered the walls of the hallways of Lallybroch where she and her own children were staying at the moment to watch the Frasers while Claire and Jamie went on a trip by themselves.

“Auntie Jenny, I don’t think Mama and Da really want a picture of us while they’re on their trip,” eight-year-old Faith’s eyebrows raised in a trademark Claire mannerism before being shoved gruffly aside by Brianna.

“Ye ken very well I’m not sendin’ it to them now!” Jenny rolled her eyes at her niece and shot her a smile. “Yer parents waited long enough for this trip and we willna be interruptin’ their time together.”

Chairs scraped to the ends of the big butcher block table as wee Frasers climbed on top. The children knew the routine well and scampered into the formation indicated by their aunt. Year after year she took the same picture of them to watch them grow, then she’d follow up the formal shot with individual photos or different group arrangements. Murtagh always expected one at Christmas that included both the Fraser and Murray children together. At Lallybroch, the past years’ pictures were ordered on the wall with precision as well as with room to place the following years’ sibling pictures.

Looking at the children now, Jenny’s heart warmed. Her brother and his wife had worked so hard for this lovely family of theirs. The past couple of years, with Claire completing medical school, had been especially taxing. Watching the people she loved overcome challenges and thrive was a special thrill though. She was proud of them all. She wanted both to bask in the moment and to see what the next years held.

“Move  _ over  _ Fergus!” Willa hissed as she wedged herself between her siblings.

“I canna or I’ll fall off! Tell Bree or Faith to move,” the small boy frowned in the direction of his oldest sisters.

“Move, move, move over!” Willa poked each Fraser as she shimmied into and out of her spot before settling with just a tiny bit more space.

“Don’t boss people, Willa,” Bree groused, crossing her arms. “Nobody likes a bossy-pants.” Brianna, who thrived on being in charge, certainly didn’t like to be told what to do no matter  _ who _ was doing the telling.

“Och, this shouldna take more than a minute if ye would all just sit down and be still ye wee gomerels.” She couldn’t help but smile at them though. Such a lovely family, for certain.

Fidgeting stilled as the Fraser children tried to smile in unison and get their Auntie to release them back to their play.

* * *

The package containing the pictures had been delivered earlier that day. Claire knew what it was both because she’d been expecting it and from the return address. Jenny had such an eye for photography, and Claire was eager to see the classic shot of their children as well as anything new that she’d prepared to share with them.

She also knew that Jamie loved to open it with her.

After the children went to bed, they’d sit in front of the fire or on their bed and talk about the miracle that was their family. Then, when they were all talked out and full of emotion, they’d open Jenny’s package and stare at the beautiful creations in front of them. The tiny beings who were infused, not just with look-alike genetics, but with the best traits and qualities they were able to instill. Their legacy.

She couldn’t  _ not  _ open the package this year though because she had a plan and she’d been waiting to see it play out for days.

Now Jamie was sure to be nearly home from work and the children were all in their pajamas and were brushing their teeth. Or they may have been mauling one another. There was no way to tell aside from a visual check, but by the noise (there was no crying), Claire assumed things were well. Mostly.

Carefully, she slid her thumbs under the edge of the flat, box wedging the flap up and unsticking the glue that held it there. With a soft tearing noise, it came free and she smiled. Of course Jamie would know that she’d opened it, but she didn’t care. This was perfect anyway. She slid the small item into the box, settling it right where she knew the framed portrait was, then, grabbing some double-sided tape, she stuck the end of the box back down in a half-hearted attempt to hide her mischief.

She shoved it away from her to the other side of the counter as her husband came into the kitchen and met her with a kiss.

“Dinna be fooled. I saw what yer up to, Mrs. Fraser,” he smirked.

“Oh, really?” she challenged, coyly, snatching the box back up. “I’ll just take this upstairs then.” She sauntered away from him leaving him with the view of one of his favorite parts of her anatomy.

“I’ll get the bairns to bed and then I’ll deal wi’ ye, Sassenach,” he told her, his tone not foreboding in the least, making her laugh.

In record time, all four children lay in their beds. Faith was silently reading to herself, flashlight in hand when her da wished her good night and the other three siblings were asleep only moments after their heads hit the pillow following an exhausting day.

Claire lay waiting, wrapped in their quilts, with the package on their bed. She held a heavy novel in her hands that she set aside when Jamie entered.

“Och, looks as if the package has been tampered with!” he said in mock alarm, crawling across the bed, straddling his wife, and kissing her thoroughly. 

“Yes, well,” she murmured from under him. “We all know what’s in there so I thought you might forgive me.” She slid into a sitting position against their headboard and nodded at the package. 

He sighed, a bit reluctantly, and settled himself to grab and open it. Gently Claire wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her cheek against the strong muscles of his back as he slid the photo from the box.

There they were. Faith as Claire-in-miniature, her curls tumbling wild about her face, exuding a peace and presence in the moment that somehow came through the image. Brianna, freckles sprinkling her nose that was scrunched up since her smile was so broad. Between Bree and Fergus sat Willa, eyes sparkling, laughing aloud at whatever had been said before the shot was taken. On the end, spindly legs dangling, there was Fergus, the small man of their tribe. 

And tucked into the corner, the small surprise, was the snapshot that Claire had taken and placed there for him to find. The rest of their anniversary gift.

“One last time?” she whispered to him, her voice husky and filled with emotion.

“One last time, mo ghraidh,” he smiled sweetly at her, eyes alight, and turned to press her close.

**Author's Note:**

> I have had this fic written for a while now. By "a while" I mean since May of 2018! I felt like more of the story needed to be written before we got to this point. Now I just feel like I need fluff and maybe some of you do too. So, here it is. I hope it brings a smile to your face.
> 
> Thanks to happytoobserve for the second set of eyes on this one too!


End file.
